Grounds of Cabarita :: A Couple’s Dreamy Renovation

In the small beachside town of Cabarita, you’ll find this dreamy beach abode. Owners Sophie & Nick have transformed a humble beach shack into barefoot luxury and needless to say, Grounds of Cabarita has become a big hit on accommodation sites. Along with daughter Poppy, this trio took a rare opportunity to sneak back in and enjoy the space they created. They spoke to Children of the Tribe about their creative inspiration for the renovation and raising a family in this laid back slice of paradise.

Grounds of Cabarita is the result of you and husband Nick transforming a 1960’s fibro shack in the beach-side town of Cabarita. Tell us what was your creative inspiration for the project?

For the renovation we wanted a fresh, open, relaxed but luxurious coastal vibe. We drew inspiration from normal places like instagram and pinterest and various Airbnbs that we visited along with cafes and retail store fit outs. But to be honest, the charming bones of the house itself and its incredible beachy location were our greatest guide and inspiration!

It’s safe to say that you’ve created some Instagram frenzy with this dreamy abode. Can you describe why you think it attracts so much attention?

Honestly the interest we have had has truly blown us away! I think that everyone is always dreaming of their next holiday, and our house does ooze vacation vibes. Its slow living, its relaxed, its what lots of people long for when they feel they are in the grind of a work week.

What is your favourite feature of the house?

I would say just the general feel… When there are a few days free from bookings we try to move back into the house to have a little staycation, and honestly, as soon as I walk through the front gate, I feel instantly relaxed. I feel there is no rush, there's no where else to be.

In terms of an actual feature, I would say that the pool that we put in at the end of last year has really elevated the house. And especially since starting our own little family in the past couple of years, I understand how handy it is to have a pool available when you go on holidays somewhere!

What do you love most about raising a young family in Cabarita?

It just seems easier and slower! While we do live quite a busy life, any chaos can be instantly forgotten by heading down to the beach and getting some sunshine. It is also the easiest way to let Poppy exhaust herself, by running rings around herself on the soft sand or in the shallows of the water, and it costs nothing! We also have a lot of friends who have young families who live near us, and we all seem to share similar values and outlook on life which is really refreshing.

With daughter Poppy now 15 months, you’ve made the decision to stop moving in and out around accommodation bookings, so tell us what’s next for your little tribe?

Before we had Poppy, Nick and I would move in and out around bookings. The house was not as popular then and it was generally weekend bookings, so Nick and I would use it as an opportunity to do camping trips or little road trips over the weekend.

When we had Poppy, we took the house off Airbnb for a while so we could enjoy her in our space. In November, we put the house back on Airbnb and the bookings came flooding in. We knew right away that it wasn’t going to be possible (or enjoyable) to live in the house around bookings but whenever there is a couple of day break between guests we like to sneak back in and enjoy the space we created!